Home News LEGO Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers Unveiled with Hidden Art Surprise

LEGO Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers Unveiled with Hidden Art Surprise

Author : Violet Update : May 16,2025

The first thing to know about this build is its impressive size. Measuring 21 inches high and 16 inches wide, it's approximately 60% the size of the original painting and large enough to be unwieldy when picking it up. This LEGO Art set of Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers is designed to be taken seriously, not just as a tribute to one of the world's most famous artworks, but as a piece of art in its own right. It's meant to be displayed in a home as a statement piece, marking LEGO's continued transition from a mere adult curiosity to a respected adult hobby.

Out March 1### LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers

0$199.99 at LEGO StoreVincent van Gogh painted his renowned series of Sunflowers while residing in Arles, France, during a highly productive period of his artistic life. He felt a deep emotional connection to the sunflower, associating it with gratitude, and considered it his artistic muse. In a letter to a friend, van Gogh stated, "If [Georges] Jeannin has the peony, [Ernest] Quost the hollyhock, I indeed, before others, have taken the sunflower." In August 1888, he painted four versions of sunflowers in a vase, and revisited this motif in January 1889 with repetitions of the third and fourth versions.

93 ImagesOf the seven paintings, the fourth version and its two repetitions are the most celebrated. The original fourth version (F454) is displayed at the National Gallery in London, England. One repetition (F457) is showcased at the Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan, and the other (F458), renowned for its vivid color composition, is at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Established in 1973, the Van Gogh Museum collaborated with LEGO to release the LEGO Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers set, a tribute to the F458 repetition. The set is crafted as a three-dimensional relief, using abstract pieces to replicate van Gogh's distinctive thick brushstrokes.

Upon opening the box, you'll find 34 numbered bags and a printed instruction booklet with a QR code that leads to a podcast discussing van Gogh and the inspirations behind his work. The building process begins with the frame, which you can lean against the wall while waiting. Next, you construct the canvas with the painting on top, and finally, you mount the canvas into the frame and secure it with pins, mimicking the real-life staging and presentation process, which adds a sense of value and importance to the completed set.

An intriguing Easter egg is hidden within the canvas construction. Art experts discovered that van Gogh extended the height of the canvas with a wooden strip during the painting process to give the sunflowers more space. LEGO cleverly replicates this detail by having you build the canvas first, then attach a separate strip at the top with pins. This detail, circled in red in the photo below, uses brown bricks to mimic wood, adding an exclusive and personal touch to the build.

This seemingly superfluous detail is precisely why it's so beloved—it's imperceptible to others but meaningful to the builder, reflecting the trial and error of a master's creative process. It also fosters a sense of exclusivity, as the builder can choose whether to share this secret.

Constructing the full-bloom sunflowers can be tedious, yet it's essential to achieving their realistic appearance. The repetitiveness mirrors van Gogh's meticulous approach. It's best to take breaks during the build, as it's not meant to be rushed but savored to get your money's worth.

I particularly appreciated the wilting flowers and those depicted in profile rather than head-on. Initially, they seemed abstract and random, but stepping back revealed their context as stems and leaves.

The most common question from adults about LEGO sets is, "After you build a LEGO set, where do you put it?" For this set, the answer is straightforward: on your dining room wall. This set is designed with a clear destination in mind, enhancing the anticipation of completion and the long-term enjoyment of the finished product. A week after finishing it, I still find joy in observing it and discovering new three-dimensional details.

This LEGO Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers set (Set #31215) retails for $199.99 and comprises 2615 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store and is the first great LEGO set of 2025, highly recommended for enthusiasts and art lovers alike.